1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a utensil for steam-cooking and serving food.
2. Description of Prior Art
Gentle steam-cooking enhances the flavour of the food, preserves the vitamins and nutrients in the food, and reduces cooking times. But despite the fact that cooking in rising steam is very easy and beneficial, it is a technique that is usually only used by very well equipped kitchen chefs. There are, however, a number of prior art systems designed to allow the use of this healthy cooking method in private households, too. The systems in question are steam cookers including an electric evaporator and several chromium-nickel steel baskets for assembly on top of it. The flat bottom of each chromium-nickel steel basket is perforated so that the steam can rise up through the baskets. The baskets, which are round or oval in a plan view, have an approximately perpendicular side wall which is formed into a horizontal, outwardly directed edge at the top which serves for grasping the basket. The bottom edge of the basket, i.e. where the side wall runs into the flat, perforated bottom, has an indentation all round the outside so that several identical baskets can be stacked on top of each other. The evaporator unit itself has a die-cast aluminium liquid reservoir which is open at the top and an electric heating device. These elements of the evaporator are accommodated in a housing made from a thermoplastic, for example. One or several chromium-nickel steel baskets is or are then placed on top of this housing, with the topmost basket being closed by a lid. The lid is advantageously made from glass or a transparent, shock-resistant plastic so that the food in the top basket is visible. To operate the steam cooker, the liquid reservoir, which can hold about 1 to 2 litres of water, is filled and the electric heating device is then turned on. The water then evaporates slowly and the steam rises upwards through the perforated bottoms of the baskets containing the food to be cooked. A buzzer built into the evaporator emits an acoustic signal when the water boils dry and the electric heating device is switched off. As soon as the food is cooked, the baskets are removed from the evaporator and the food can then be served.
A prior art fish cooker also exists, with an additional insertable perforated bottom on which the fish is cooked. The fish cooker forms an elongated pan with a lid, and the additional bottom can be lifted in and out of the pan by means of two pivoting handling attachments. Before serving, the fish is lifted off the additional bottom and arranged on a serving plate.
One problem of the systems described above is that before serving, the food always has to be lifted out of the hot baskets and arranged on a separate serving plate, or on dinner plates. This is a delicate process because the cooked food tends to disintegrate. It also takes up valuable time, during which the food inevitably loses heat.